TOTP Relaunch

Plans to revamp Top of the Pops, including a new logo and new sets, have been presented to the music industry ahead of the changes later this year.

The show is to be renamed All New Top of the Pops in an attempt by new executive producer Andi Peters to win back viewers.

The search is also on for new presenters, while the backstage "Star Bar" will no longer be seen on screen.

The show's average weekly audience has halved since 1995, to three million.

Record company figures met Peters at the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on Monday to meet Peters.


Former children's presenter Andi Peters is now in charge of the show
A BPI spokesman said: "It was a meeting where Andi Peters and his team gave a presentation on the new format."

A spokeswoman for Top of the Pops said: "The format of the show will change slightly."

The new version was likely to include more footage from behind the scenes, she said. "But it will still be led by the charts."

An hour-long show will herald the changes, with the date expected to be set in the next week.

Source - BBC News

Sounds awful.

I think so too. The logos pretty good, and by renaming it, it's going to be worse than it is now. I don't think they should change it.

And I thought that all the different TOTPs around the world look exactly the same, so that performances can be shared between them?

rob:
"The show is to be renamed All New Top of the Pops in an attempt by new executive producer Andi Peters to win back viewers."

No - bad move. Don't change the name if it's worked for 40 years!

"The search is also on for new presenters, while the backstage "Star Bar" will no longer be seen on screen."

Hope they aren't of the calibre of recent presenters; it's been confirmed that Margherita Taylor will become a regular TOTP presenter, no confirmation in the rumours about Kate Lawler joining from RI:SE. As for the Star Bar, glad it's going.

"The show's average weekly audience has halved since 1995, to three million."

Doesn't help when you put your show up against the most popular programme on ITV for a few months and then forget to push it back after seven years eh

"The new version was likely to include more footage from behind the scenes, she said. "But it will still be led by the charts."

But that's a bit contradictory - getting rid of the Star Bar and in the past few weeks easing up on the professional-style interviews but then turn around and bring them back in another way? It's probably been proven with falling ratings that TOTP viewers want MUSIC , not chat and celebrity butt-kissing.

Whataday:
"And I thought that all the different TOTPs around the world look exactly the same, so that performances can be shared between them?"

Some of the foreign TOTP have been axed; the (second) American version was pulled after a few months, and a lot of the European shows have gone too (TOTP is still broadcast in Germany and Italy)

I can imagine that any changes to the UK programme will be reflected in the other versions of TOTP around the world. Although when I saw a German TOTP recently, only the set and the logo were the same as the UK version, and by and large the German show no longer relies on performances sourced from TVC. The caption styles were different, and they are still using the different "pinball table" titles they used when TOTP Germany began back in 1998!

Why can't a logo be changed just because it's widely used? You just change them all.

I think the current logo's terrible. The stupid colourful way it went was all wrong - the old, far more sophisticated TOTP logo, and the dark sets, was far better.

EDIT:

Compare this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp2/trivia/logos/images/small_logo97.jpg

to this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp2/trivia/logos/images/small_logo99.jpg

I know which one I prefer.

Interesting page on the logos here especially the bit where it says of the current logo...



Hmmmmm!

How embarassing. Isn't that the kind of name they apply to stuff like Scooby Doo, i.e. "The All New Scooby Doo", which usually means it's crap?



Get rid of Bacon, he's a muppet that can't present his way out of a paper bag. Some music related presenters with knowledge might make a change, we haven't had any of those on TOTP since, ooh, Scott Mills?

The star bar was a rubbish idea anyway, so good riddance.



Not surprising. That was Ric Blaxill's period. He saved it from the axe in early 94 by making the show as simple as it was ever intended to be - live music performances. And, IIRC, the Xmas 96 show picked up the highest TOTP audience in many years (around 7 million), this was shortly before Blaxill left the show.



What is up with these people? Why do they feel the urge to put items in the show that clearly don't work, particularly in what is only a 30 minute show. The best, and most radical thing they can do is move it to around 7pm on a Sunday, so that the program is on shortly after the chart is announced, and just concentrate on performances. Not videos. Not duff Fame Academy acts who haven't even got a single released yet.



That sounds familiar. Wasn't that done only 13 months ago? I remember that being pointless too.

I also understand that "the powers that be" plan to try and 'encourage' more acts to sing/perform live. Why is this sounding more and more like the year zero relaunch of 1991. Ick.

I think it should go back to 7pm on Thursdays. No-one's in at 7pm on Friday (well I'm not!)

It should be on a Sunday as far as I'm concerned - from 6pm to 7pm, and countdown the new chart for that week. I don't like the way that the show on a Friday is the week that's just passed.
I'm sure after a few weeks the 'All New' bit will be dropped. The logo will probably be some awful flat colour with text in it ( a la Sky One)...but I'll wait and see.

If they had it on Sunday how could they possibly book the act who's number 1?

Um, good point!
I guess I hadn't really thought the idea through..but I'm sure they could find a way of doing it!